The Head-Up Display or HUD is a transparent display (typically located in front of the aircraft's windscreen) used to present information to the pilot without them having to look at their instruments. The design, layout, and functionality of different HUDs varies significantly. Most HUDs have multiple modes, these can be switched between by pressing the "Switch sight mode in cockpit" keybind. This article will provide an overview of each HUD design in the game. Some HUD designs are used by multiple aircraft.
The Harrier GR.3's most noteworthy deployment was to the Falkland Islands during, and after, the 1982 Falklands War. When the war began on 2nd April 1982 with the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands, Britain was forced to rapidly assemble a task force to retake the islands, located some 8,000 miles away from the British mainland. The decommissioning of the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes was cancelled and, along with HMS Invincible (itself in the process of being sold to Australia), it was rapidly prepared for deployment. The two aircraft carriers left Portsmouth Naval Base three days later (on 5th April), setting sail to Ascension Island (a small British island in the South Atlantic); which was the designated rendezvous point from where the task force would then sail to the Falklands. The two carriers were carrying Sea King helicopters and Sea Harrier FRS.1 fighters (12 Sea Harriers on Hermes and 8 on Invincible).
Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) is a design feature found on some aircraft in War Thunder. Unlike other fixed-wing aircraft, VTOL aircraft can take off, hover, and land vertically using the power and directionality of their engines, rather than having to rely on forward motion to allow their wings to generate lift. There are two designs that achieve this in-game: aircraft that have special nozzles to redirect the thrust output of the engine (thrust vectoring) such as the Harrier series, and aircraft with supplementary engines directed vertically (lift jets) such as the Yak-38 series.
The weapons selector, introduced in Update “Raining Fire”, is a mechanism which allows the player to select which of an aircraft’s primary and
secondary weapons should be used. Once set up, players can cycle through their primary and secondary weapons, and fire them using
the same bound key. Note that this is a separate system, with separate controls, from the countermeasures selector.
The Ballistic Computer is a system found on some modern aircraft and helicopters used to aid the player in the delivery of unguided air-to-ground munitions. There are two key functions of the ballistic computer: Constantly Computed Impact Point (CCIP) and Constantly Computed Release Point (CCRP). CCIP continually calculates where munitions will land and gives the pilot an accurate impact point to aim with. CCRP allows the player to specify an impact point, the ballistic computer will then continually calculate at which point along the player’s flight path munitions will need to be released in order to hit the player’s designated impact point, and will only allow munitions to be released when that point is reached.
The English Electric Lightning was the RAF’s primary front-line interceptor from its introduction in 1959 up until the mid-1970s when it began to be replaced by the Phantom FGR.2. Even so, the Lightning would continue to serve in the interceptor role with the RAF until 1988, leaving RAF service less than two years before the first Phantoms began to be retired from service. Although the Lightning was primarily used to intercept Soviet bombers entering UK airspace, it was also stationed outside the UK, most notably in Germany; the Lightning also saw service at RAF Tengah in Singapore and RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Despite serving in the RAF for 29 years, the Lightning never once shot down a hostile aircraft. Officially, the only aircraft ever shot down by a Lightning was a pilotless Harrier; the pilot had ejected, however the Harrier kept flying. It was decided to shoot it down rather than risk it entering Soviet territory.
After a slew of cancelled aircraft development programmes in the 1960s, the UK would, like many other nations, eventually come to operate the F-4 Phantom II. Three special variants of the F-4J would be created, namely the Phantom FG.1 (F-4K), de-navalised Phantom FGR.2 (F-4M), and the Phantom F.3 (F-4J(UK)) which was upgraded to almost-F-4S standard. The Phantoms would remain the UK's primary air defence force from their introduction in 1968 through to the 1990s when they were finally replaced by the Tornado F.3.
Infrared (IR) homing missiles, also known as heat-seeking missiles, or heat-seekers, are the most widespread type of air-to-air missile in War Thunder. Infrared homing missiles have what is known as an IR seeker mounted in the nose of the missile. The IR seeker is capable of detecting the infrared light emitted by the target; and when the missile is launched the IR seeker tracks the source of infrared light and steers the missile towards it. These missiles are commonly called “heat-seekers”, as things which are hot emit large amounts of infrared light, so the missile is effectively looking for hot things to lock on to. Infrared homing missiles will lock on to any suitably strong infrared light source; this includes friendly aircraft (RB and SB) and the sun.
